The present invention relates to a method for measuring gel-point temperatures of gelled and/or molten fluids such as foodstuffs and high molecular compounds.
Industrially, appropriate control of the gel-point temperature of aqueous foodstuffs during manufacturing process is very useful to achieve quality improvement of the respective final products.
The gel-point temperature measurement of prior art includes,
(1) The subjective method in which an iron ball is placed on a mass of gel contained within a tube, then the mass of gel is heated while visually observing the iron ball which begins to sink into the mass of gel and a temperature at which the iron ball thus begins to sink into the mass of gel is measured as a gel-point temperature; and
(2) The method to determine a process of gelation, e.g., for aqueous solution of starch or the like, in which a change in quantity of transmitted light as a function of a temperature change is measured and a change of physical properties is related to a change of the light quantity (Japanese Disclosure Gazette No. 1979-121190).
Of the well known methods as have been mentioned above, the method utilizing the iron ball is relatively low in measurement accuracy, since, in accordance with this method, the moment at which the iron ball begins to sink is visually observed by a human operator while the method based on the quantity of transmitted light is limited in its application because the object to be measured must be transparent. These methods of prior art accordingly have a common weak point such that it is impossible for these methods to measure gel-point temperatures on a variety of substances.